Although they are on a break, K-pop band BTS continues to make history. NASA has chosen 3 BTS songs for the upcoming mission to the moon, and although some members, including RM, are on military enlistment, the South Korean rapper has achieved another milestone with his solo track “Moonchild” being included in NASA’s The Moon Tunes Playlist.
Alongside his solo track “Moonchild,” NASA has chosen two space-themed BTS songs for The Moon Tunes Playlist – “Mikrokosmos” & “134340”. NASA is getting ready for their next trip to the moon as they approach the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. As a way of commemoration, they put together a special mix called “Moon Tunes” for their upcoming journey.
কুকুরমারা, শিয়ালমারীর মতো বিভিন্ন রকমের শ্রুতিকটু ও নেতিবাচক নাম থাকা দেশের ১১টি সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের নাম পরিবর্তন করেছে সরকার। এর মধ্যে ৯টি বিদ্যালয় চুয়াডাঙ্গার আর ২টি নরসিংদীর। নতুন বছরের প্রথম দিনে আজ সোমবার প্রাথমিক ও গণশিক্ষা মন্ত্রণালয় প্রজ্ঞাপন জারি করে নাম পরিবর্তনের কথা জানিয়েছে।
প্রাথমিক ও গণশিক্ষা মন্ত্রণালয়ের প্রজ্ঞাপনে বলা হয়েছে, সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের নামকরণ ও বিদ্যমান নাম পরিবর্তন নীতিমালা অনুযায়ী শ্রুতিকটু, নেতিবাচক এবং শিশুমনে ও জনমনে বিরূপ প্রভাব ফেলে—এমন বিদ্যালয়গুলোর নাম পরিবর্তন করা হয়েছে।
নতুন নামকরণ অনুযায়ী নরসিংদীর বেলাব উপজেলার ‘কুকুরমারা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নতুন নাম হয়েছে শান্তিপুর সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়; আর রায়পুরা উপজেলার ‘আদিয়াবাদ সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম পরিবর্তন করে ড. মনিরুজ্জামান সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় করা হয়েছে।
এ রকমভাবে চুয়াডাঙ্গার আলমডাঙ্গা উপজেলার ‘বটিয়াপাড়া শিয়ালমারী এজি বালিকা বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম আব্দুল গণি সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, একই উপজেলার ‘কুমারী বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম দক্ষিণপাড়া প্রতিভা বিকাশ সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘ভোদুয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বালিকা বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম ভোদুয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘বড়বোয়ালিয়া বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম বড়বোয়ালিয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘ভোগাইল বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম ভোগাইল সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়, ‘হারদী বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম হারদী সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় এবং ‘মরহুম ডা. মোকছেদ আলী মুন্সীগঞ্জ পশুরহাট সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম পরিবর্তন করে ডা. মোকছেদ আলী সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় করা হয়েছে।
একই জেলার জীবননগর উপজেলার ‘জীবননগর থানা বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম জীবননগর সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় এবং ‘আন্দুলবাড়ীয়া বালিকা সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয়ের’ নাম আন্দুলবাড়ীয়া সরকারি প্রাথমিক বিদ্যালয় করা হয়েছে।
নোবেলজয়ী অর্থনীতিবিদ ড. মুহাম্মদ ইউনূস বলেছেন, ‘যে দোষ করিনি, সেই দোষে শাস্তি পেলাম। এই দুঃখটা মনে রয়ে গেল।’ শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের মামলায় ৬ মাসের কারাদণ্ড ও ৩০ হাজার টাকা জরিমানার রায় ঘোষণার পর ড. ইউনূস সাংবাদিকদের এ কথা বলেন।
ঢাকার তৃতীয় শ্রম আদালতের বিচারক বেগম শেখ মেরিনা সুলতানা আজ সোমবার শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের মামলায় গ্রামীণ টেলিকমের চেয়ারম্যান ও নোবেলজয়ী অর্থনীতিবিদ ড. ইউনূসকে ৬ মাসের কারাদণ্ড এবং ৩০ হাজার টাকা জরিমানা করেন।
রায়ের সময় ড. ইউনূস আদালতে উপস্থিত ছিলেন। আবেদনের পর তাঁকে এক মাসের মধ্যে আপিল করার শর্তে জামিন দেওয়া হয়।
রায় ঘোষণার পর ড. ইউনূসের আইনজীবী আবদুল্লাহ আল মামুন এ রায়কে নজিরবিহীন বলে মন্তব্য করেন। তিনি সাংবাদিকদের বলেন, শ্রম আদালতের এ রায় অপূর্ণাঙ্গ। ড. ইউনূস আদালতের কাছ থেকে ন্যায়বিচার পাননি।
রায়ে ড. ইউনূসের পাশাপাশি গ্রামীণ টেলিকমের সাবেক ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক (এমডি) আশরাফুল হাসান, পরিচালক নূর জাহান বেগম ও মো. শাহজাহানকে ৬ মাস করে কারাদণ্ড এবং ২৫ হাজার টাকা করে জরিমানা করা হয়। শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের যেসব ধারায় ড. ইউনূসসহ চারজনের বিরুদ্ধে অভিযোগ আনা হয়, সেসব ধারায় সর্বোচ্চ সাজা ৬ মাসের কারাদণ্ড ও ২৫ হাজার টাকা জরিমানা। ড. ইউনূসসহ চারজনকে দুটি ধারায় দণ্ড দেওয়া হয়েছে। ২০২১ সালের ৯ সেপ্টেম্বর মামলাটি করেছিল সরকারি সংস্থা কলকারখানা ও প্রতিষ্ঠান পরিদর্শন অধিদপ্তর।
মামলায় অভিযোগ আনা হয় যে শ্রম আইন, ২০০৬ এবং বাংলাদেশ শ্রম বিধিমালা, ২০১৫ অনুযায়ী গ্রামীণ টেলিকমের শ্রমিক বা কর্মচারীদের শিক্ষানবিশকাল পার হলেও তাঁদের নিয়োগ স্থায়ী করা হয়নি। প্রতিষ্ঠানে কর্মরত শ্রমিক বা কর্মচারীদের মজুরিসহ বাৎসরিক ছুটি দেওয়া, ছুটি নগদায়ন ও ছুটির বিপরীতে নগদ অর্থ দেওয়া হয় না। মামলার অভিযোগে আরও বলা হয়, গ্রামীণ টেলিকমে শ্রমিক অংশগ্রহণ তহবিল ও কল্যাণ তহবিল গঠন করা হয়নি এবং লভ্যাংশের ৫ শতাংশের সমপরিমাণ অর্থ শ্রমিক কল্যাণ ফাউন্ডেশন আইন অনুযায়ী গঠিত তহবিলে জমা দেওয়া হয় না।
শ্রম আইন লঙ্ঘনের মামলায় ড. ইউনূসসহ চার জনের ছয় মাসের কারাদণ্ড ও ৩০ হাজার টাকা অর্থদণ্ড দিয়েছেন ঢাকার একটি শ্রম আদালত। রায় ঘোষণার পর আপিলের শর্তে ড. ইউনূসকে জামিন দেন আদালত। এ বিষয়ে তথ্যমন্ত্রী বলেন, ‘পৃথিবীর বহু নোবেল পুরস্কার বিজয়ী ফৌজদারি ও দেওয়ানী অপরাধে শাস্তিপ্রাপ্ত হয়েছেন, অনেকে অনেক দিন জেলও খেটেছেন। যৌথভাবে নোবেল পুরস্কার পাওয়া একজন আরেকজনের বিরুদ্ধে মামলা করেছেন, এমন ঘটনাও আছে।’
তিনি বলেন, ‘ড. মুহাম্মদ ইউনূসের প্রতি যথাযথ সম্মান রেখেই বলতে চাই, তিনি বহু বছর ধরে শ্রমিকদের পাওনা বুঝিয়ে দেননি। এরপর যখন শ্রমিকরা আদালতে গেছে, তখন আদালতের বাইরে দুজন শ্রমিক নেতাকে তার প্রতিষ্ঠান থেকে তিন কোটি করে ছয় কোটি টাকা ঘুষ দিয়ে ম্যানেজ করার কথা বলা হয়েছে। কিন্তু সাধারণ শ্রমিকরা তো আর টাকা পায়নি, দুজন নেতা টাকা পেলে তো আর হবে না। সে কারণে সাধারণ শ্রমিকরা মামলায় গেছে।’
তিনি আরও বলেন, ‘শ্রমিকের অধিকার নিয়ে তো অনেক কথা হয়, শ্রমিক অধিকার নিশ্চিত করার জন্য আমাদের বন্ধু রাষ্ট্রগুলো অনেক কথা বলে। বন্ধু রাষ্ট্ররা গার্মেন্টস শ্রমিকের পাওনা আদায়ের কথা বলে। আশা করবো তারা এ ব্যাপারেও কথা বলবে। শ্রমিকের পাওনা বুঝিয়ে না দেওয়ার কারণেই অর্থাৎ একটি অপরাধ সংগঠিত হয়েছে বিধায় মামলা হয়েছে।’
Tourist ships have started sailing between Inani Beach in Cox’s Bazar town and Saint Martin’s Island. This improves upon an important scene of tourism. The MV Karnafuly Express set sail in the morning for the first time from the new jetty built by the Bangladesh Navy at Inani Beach.
The ship’s office in Cox’s Bazar is run by Hossain Islam Bahadur. He said that from now on, the ship will leave from the Bangladesh Navy’s jetty at Inani instead of the Bakkhali River jetty.
He said that ships normally go between Teknaf and Saint Martin’s, Chittagong and Saint Martin’s, and Cox’s Bazar and Saint Martin’s. The MV Karnaphuli Express used to leave from the Bakkhali River Jetty, but that wasn’t possible this year. “The ship is leaving from Inani Navy jetty for Saint Martin’s Island after getting all the necessary permissions from all appropriate departments.” This has opened up a new way for tourists to come in. He said, “The ship left Inani for the first time yesterday at 9:30 a.m. and got to the island at 12:30 p.m.” It’s set to leave Saint Martin’s Island at 3 p.m. and get to Inani at 6:30 p.m.”
The ship’s managing head, Engineer MA Rashid, said that the ship can hold 750 people. He also said that the round-trip ticket costs between Tk1,800 and Tk3,200.
The president of Argentina’s football association said that Lionel Messi’s famous No. 10 shirt will be taken away “for life” when he stops playing. An amazing career was capped off last year when Messi helped Argentina win the World Cup after 35 years of waiting.
“This number 10 will be retired for life in his honor, it’s the least we can do for him,” said the president. Messi played his first game for Argentina as an adult (18 years old) in 2005, but he was sent off after only two minutes. It was a terrible start to his career. In 2008, he won an Olympic gold medal in Beijing. However, until 2021, the great Barcelona player could not lead his country to the same level of success he was having with his club team.
After almost 18 months, he added the World Cup to his list of accomplishments. In that time, he led Argentina to their first big title since 1993: the Copa America. Messi is getting ready for his first full season with Miami since moving to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the summer. He is still captain of his country, even though he will be 37 years old in six months.
The Bangladesh Bank through a special pathway has given loans amounting to Tk 22,000 crore to 7 crisis-hit commercial banks, including 5 Shariah-based banks. Those 5 Shariah-based banks which are Islami Bank Bangladesh, Social Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Union Bank and Global Islami Bank are allegedly controlled by S Alam Group.
These emergency loans were also given to National Bank and Padma Bank.
The Bangladesh Bank recently changed the structure of the board of the National Bank because the bank’s finances and governance were getting worse. Bangladesh Bank officials said that the banks didn’t have enough protection for these loans, so they gave them three days to pay them back using promissory notes.
They said that the loans were given to fix shortfalls in the central bank’s current account and the central bank’s capital reserve ratios before the end of the year. Zahid Hussain, who used to be the head economist at the World Bank’s office in Dhaka, told New Age that the liquidity support could be used to make up for gaps in the CRR. He said it was not ideal that the BB kept bailing out these banks without making them stop doing wrong and get back the loans that weren’t being used. He said that the central bank has been sending the wrong message to the sector by helping out banks in trouble since December 2022 without fixing the problems that caused them in the first place.
An airplane being moved from Mumbai to Assam on a trailer truck got stuck under a bridge in the Piprakothi area, which caused a lot of trouble in Motihari, Bihar. The accident happened on Friday, and traffic stopped because the broken-down plane got stuck under the overbridge. People on foot and in cars were seen trying to get around the strange object in a video that went viral. This caused a backup of cars on NH 27.
The accident happened because the truck driver didn’t know how high the bridge was, according to the authorities. In November 2022, a similar thing happened in Andhra Pradesh: a plane got stuck on the underpass of a road in the Bapatla district. This happened in Motihari too.
In the latest accident in Bihar, both the plane and the truck were safely freed, so they could continue their trip to Assam. People from the area and other people who were just passing by gathered to watch the video of the plane stuck under the bridge.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus and three other top executives at Grameen Telecom were given six months in jail today for breaking labor laws. The decision was made by Sheikh Merina Sultana, who is the head of the Third Labour Court of Dhaka. After the verdict, Yunus and the other three officials each came forward with their own bail requests. The judge approved their requests and freed them for one month.
The case was brought to court on September 9, 2021, by Labor Inspector (General) SM Arifuzzaman of the Inspection for Factories and Establishments Department. Case records say that on August 16, 2021, IFED officials investigated in the office of Grameen Telecom in Mirpur, which is in the capital, and found several violations of labor laws.
In a letter sent to the leaders of Grameen Telecom on August 19, that year, the department said that 67 of its workers were going to be hired full-time. The case statement said that it was not done. Also, the participation and welfare funds for workers had not yet been set up, and 5% of the company’s dividends that were meant to be paid to workers had not been.
A series of 21 earthquakes all being at least 4.0 magnitude hit central Japan all within around 90 minutes on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The strongest of them was measured to be 7.6. The earthquakes resulted in tsunami warnings and authorities called upon people in the area to move to higher ground. Authorities are still assessing how much damage has been caused and residents need to prepare for more tremors, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in comments aired on NHK.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has asked people not to hold any events in public places on January 31st, which is the English New Year. To celebrate the New Year, all types of gatherings and festivals have been banned on roads, intersections, flyovers, and public spaces in the capital. This is because of the possible dangers that come with the holiday and the general state of law and order.
The DMP also asked people in the Dhaka metro area not to set off fireworks or firecrackers in public places and asked people not to fly sky lanterns in the city to celebrate the English New Year. By the way, DMP says that buying and selling fireworks, crackers, and sky lanterns is illegal everywhere in the city. The group said that during the New Year celebrations, there will be no open places for any kind of event, gathering, dance, song, or cultural program. After 8pm, people from outside the area are not allowed to enter Gulshan, Banani, or Baridhara. But people who live in these places can get in through certain routes after a certain time, as long as they can prove who they are. Non-residents are not allowed to enter the residential areas of Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, and Dhaka University during the designated times. This helps keep these areas safe overall. After 6 p.m., no gatherings or events are allowed in the Hatirjheel area, and there are strict rules against stopping or parking cars to keep things running smoothly.
Starting December 31, all 16 stations on the Uttara-Motijheel section of the country’s first metro train service will be open to the public. Shahbagh and Karwan Bazar are the last two stations that need to be opened. Manager of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), MAN Siddique, told reporters about the opening this afternoon at a press conference in the city.
The service will be open from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM on the Agargaon-Motijheel section and 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM on the Uttara-Agargaon section. In 2024, the time will be adjusted by the authority.
MAN Siddique said the entire Uttara-Motijheel route will be operating from morning to night in March 2024.
The 2021 event was found in a list of injuries sent to the authorities. It wrote down that the damage was a “laceration, cut, open wound,” and it named a robot as the “cause object.” Two witnesses told the US tech website The Information that the robot “pushed its claws” into the man’s body and drew blood from his back and arm.
One of the witnesses said that the engineer “left a trail of blood behind him” after another worker pressed the emergency stop button. He was able to get away from the robot and fall down a chute meant to collect scrap metal.
The engineer was designing the software that runs the robots that cut aluminum into car parts when the accident happened, according to The Information.
Two of the robots were turned off, but one was left on by accident. It caught the worker in its claws as it went about its daily business.
Bangladesh beat New Zealand in their first Twenty20 match, which was played today in Napier, New Zealand. Bangladesh leader Najmul Hossain Shanto was very proud of his team. Shanto said right after his team won the game by five wickets, “Really excited and really proud of how we played today.”
Shanto praised his bowlers for being able to adjust to the conditions and carry out their plans.
“They need to learn quickly.” Shoriful, Sakib bowled really well with the new ball. Given the conditions, Sheikh Mahedi bowled really well.
Man of the match Mahedi scored 19 runs and Liton Das scored 42 not out. Bangladesh won the game with eight balls to spare.
This year, 266 people died and 1,276 got AIDS in the country. This is the biggest number of cases ever since the first case was found in 1989. The information was given at an event held on Wednesday (December 27) to honor AIDS Day in the auditorium of the National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital.
He also said that more than 15,000 people in Bangladesh have the HIV virus.
In 2022, at least 232 people died of AIDS and 947 new cases were found. During the event, it was revealed that 1,118 of this year’s AIDS patients are Bangladeshis and the rest are Rohingyas living in different camps in Cox’s Bazar. There are 342 affected people in Dhaka, which is the city with the most cases.
A study shown at the event says that the number of AIDS cases among male sex workers is going up. Also, this disease is increasing among homosexuals as well. AIDS can also be contracted by drug users who use intravenous injections.
Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor who was in the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” as well as Korean drama series “Coffee Prince,” was found dead, according to a story from Yonhap on Wednesday. During a government crackdown on illegal drugs, Lee was being investigated for using drugs that were against the law.
Lee was found unconscious in his car in a park in Seoul on Wednesday morning, next to charcoal briquettes. His wife had told police that Lee had left the house and she had found what looked like a suicide note, according to Yonhap.
The Jongno police office in Seoul did not answer the phone right away. South Korea has strict drug laws. People who break these laws can spend at least six months in jail, or up to fourteen years, in prison for repeat offenders and drug sellers.
Lee had been questioned by police three times, plus for 19 hours over the weekend. El País reported that the star said a bar hostess got him to take drugs and then tried to blackmail him.
It is said that Arif Hossain Shanto, a student at Barisal University (BU) who is also connected to Chhatra Dal, hit his friend Zakir Hossain. Authorities say the fight started when Zakir replied “haha” to a post by Shanto on Facebook. At about 11 PM on Monday, the attack happened near the university’s traffic police box. Zakir was hit in the left eye with a punch and then kicked, resulting in him being injured.
Reza Sharif, president of BU’s Chhatra Dal branch, said, “We will investigate and take action against him for beating up his classmate because of how he responded to a Facebook post.” Shanto’s acts have been criticized. Another student who was hurt, Muhammad Gholam Rabbani, told what happened, saying that he and Zakir were at the market when Shanto showed up and started attacking. Zakir was taken to Barisal’s Sher-E-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) for treatment after his friends stepped in.
“I had reacted to a photo of Arif Hossain Shanto,” Zakir shared his side of the story. “After that, Arif confronted me on Messenger and later asked where I was.” I replied, “I am now on the Barisal-Bhola highway close to BU.” Shanto denied the accusations and said, “Zakir called me at the Bhola intersection and hit me, so I also beat him up in self-defense.” BU officials are worried about what happened. Pushpa Rani Majumdar, the student advisor, said, “Such incidents are not acceptable,” and BU Proctor Dr. Abdul Qayyum said that the school would take the right steps if they got any complaints.
Nvidia, the US-based graphics chip company, has donated $15 million to non-profits helping civilians affected by the current Israel-Palestine War. In this $15 million, $5 million is from Nvidia employees from over 30 countries.
“We are proud to see such broad support from Nvidia families in Israel and around the world, and are grateful for their prayers and hope for the return of our colleague Avinatan Or, and the other hostages from Hamas captivity,” said Gideon Rosenberg, Nvidia’s deputy general counsel. Avinatan has been an engineer at Nvidia since April 2022, according to his LinkedIn page. He was captured by Hamas at the Nova music festival on October 7 along with his girlfriend Noa Argamani and around 240 others, some of whom have since been released.
Asor Fund (JGive), American Friends of Magen David Adom, Doctors Without Borders, Friends of United Hatzalah, IsraAID (US) Global Humanitarian Assistance, Jewish Agency for Israel, World Central Kitchen, and Zaka were some of the groups that Nvidia employees chose to give to.
Around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Mottalib’s election camp opened in Barahatia union’s Ward No. 5. Ritan Barua said at the opening meeting, “I’m talking about our MP. One thing I want to say. It was our job to rob votes in 2014. It’s that easy. It was also us who robbed votes in 2018. Now, our prime minister keeps saying the same thing: the rest of the world is putting pressure on us. We need to wait in line to vote without getting into fights. The whole world needs to see this.”
Central Chhatra League’s former assistant secretary Md Riyad told Prothom Alo that Ritan Barua had worked ardently for the present MP in the last 2 elections but in return he faced only trouble. He made this comment out of frustration. When asked about Ritan Barua’s remarks, independent candidate Abdul Mottaleb’s chief coordinator of the election conducting committee in Lohagara Khorshed Alam Chowdhury said, “We don’t agree with his comments. He can tell you better what he meant to say.”
A new verb, ‘Israel,’ has been included in the popular crowdsourced online dictionary, Urban Dictionary, bringing up both interest and controversy on social media. The word is defined as when a person claims something that belongs to someone else as their own, similar to theft.
The meaning gives an example of how the word is used by talking about someone who wants to share a table at a coffee shop but then asks the person who is already there to leave because they have a meeting.
A user named Sarah Wilkinson shared the screenshot of the new definition on her X (formerly Twitter) account yesterday. It has already gotten a lot of attention, with over 41,000 views so far.
If Brazil’s football board steps in and a new president is elected in January, FIFA told the country that its national teams and clubs could be banned from international competitions. The governing body of soccer warned a Brazilian soccer executive in a letter on Sunday that the country’s soccer body, CBF, could be suspended if it doesn’t listen to its advice to wait and instead holds a quick election to replace Ednaldo Rodrigues as president. The Associated Press got a hold of the paper.
FIFA, which is in charge of football, has a history of not letting the government or outside groups get involved in its member associations. This could mean that five-time World Cup winners Brazil can’t play in big tournaments until the problem is fixed.
The letter sent on Sunday was signed by Kenny Jean-Marie, who is the chief members’ association officer for FIFA, and Monserrat Jiménez Garcia, who is the deputy secretary-general for CONMEBOL.
Google may finally introduce telling you when your Android phone’s battery capacity worsens, Android expert Mishaal Rahman wrote in an article for Android Authority. Unlike iPhone users, who were able to check their phone’s battery health from their settings from a long time back, Android owners currently need a 3rd party app or must enter specific command codes in order to check their phone’s battery health.
December’s Pixel Feature Drop already added new battery info; right now it shows the manufacture date of your battery and its cycle count. But the Android 14 QPR2 Beta 2 adds a mysterious “battery health” page, Rahman says, and although it’s yet to include an actual battery health meter, code suggests that it could show information like “estimated percentage of charge the battery can hold presently compared to when it was new.”
The garment worker, a mother of two, waits for her kids to fall asleep before quietly getting out of the house. She goes to the market down by the Buriganga River in Keraniganj, and waits for men to approach her. “They know without you having to say anything,” she says. “No respectable woman stands around here at night.”
A garment worker by day, rising inflation and a cost of living crisis has forced her into sex work by night. Things were not always this bad for her; at the beginning she would skip a meal here and there and pack a little less into her kid’s lunchbox. Then her husband left her and she became the sole bread earner for her family.
Her son would get hungry and started to steal. Soon she fell behind on her rent payment and took out a loan, which she struggled to pay back. This past year, her situation has become gradually worse.
She works for a big plant that makes clothes for British stores like Next, Tesco, and Matalan. In the months before Christmas, they were busy sewing holiday sweaters with “Santa’s Little Helper” and her favorite character, the Grinch. She hasn’t seen the movie, but she thinks his green grin is funny.
She finds it less funny that she is still having trouble making ends meet even though she works 10-hour shifts seven days a week. She makes about £15, which is less than the price of one of the thousands of sweaters she helps make. Also, the new minimum wage was supposed to start in December, but it hasn’t been paid yet.
A man came up to her a few months ago and offered her 500 taka, which is twice as much as she usually gets for one customer. She says, “I agreed because I thought I could go home early.” Before she got in the car, she gave the cash to a close store owner to keep safe. But when they got to the man’s house, there were ten more people waiting for her. She says, “I said no right away, but they locked the door behind me.” “They made fun of me, and I started to cry.” The person who brought me there then told me to leave and give him his money back. But when I told him I didn’t have it, he began to strip me naked to look for it.
“When he couldn’t find anything, he hurt me badly by beating me.” He hit me in the face with a table, threw me outside, and told me I wasn’t useful. I was hurt and lying in the street.
She says with tears in her eyes, “I thought I would die that day.” “I kept thinking about what would happen to my kids if I died while that crazy thing kicked me.”
Armed robbers took away the mobile phone and wallet from people on roads and alleys in Rayerbazar area on Sunday. Security has been beefed up across Dhaka on the occasion of elections and Christmas.
Locals said about yesterday’s incident that for half an hour, five to six youths snatched wallets and mobile phones from whoever they found on the way. Someone’s bicycle was also stolen. During the incident, there was panic in the entire area. Local people also fled in fear. Pedestrians in other areas fell prey to robbers. It is known that many pedestrians, rickshaw pullers and cyclists were victims but the exact number could not be confirmed. However, the police say that two victims came to them in yesterday’s incident.
Earlier on last Tuesday evening, there was an incident of looting across at least one and a half kilometer road from Mohammadpur’s embankment to Chand Udyan housing area. The robbers hacked and injured at least 10 people. An incident happened again in the same police station area. Earlier in September this year, a mass robbery took place in Bachila area of Mohammadpur. At that time armed miscreants ransacked the shops along the road.
Locals complain that there are multiple groups of juvenile gangs in Mohammadpur area. Almost all of them are drug addicts. They often rob in gangs to collect drug money. If there is a big event, it is announced. The members of this gang live under the supervision of various political leaders. Even though the police sometimes conduct raids, the masterminds remain hidden.
Millions of Americans are still being hit hard by the rising cost of living every day. A lot of high school students are wondering if getting a bachelor’s degree over four years is worth their time & money. The cost of college is going up in the US, as it is in most other countries.
An interesting poll by Intelligent.com, which talked to about 800 US employers, led to these amazing results.
According to the poll, 45% of companies plan to get rid of the need for bachelor’s degrees for some jobs in the new year. In 2023, 55% of companies stopped requiring bachelor’s degrees when posting job openings. This is in line with that trend.
According to the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), more than Tk 92,000 crore has been taken out from the banking system through 24 large scale loan scams since 2008. The independent think-tank found that money was stolen from the financial sector by going through news stories from 2008 to 2023. The think-tank spoke with the media today at a meeting to share its thoughts on the state of Bangladesh’s economy in the fiscal year 2023–24.
Non-performing loans (NPLs) are still not being checked which is bad for the health of the financial system, according to CPD. Bangladesh’s banking industry has always been weak. This is mostly because of bad governance and a lack of reforms.
“Regrettably, the government’s commitments to safeguard the banking sector remain unmet,” said CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun. It is said that the total volume of bad loans has increased by more than 3 times in the last 10 years, from Tk 42,725 crore in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2011-2012 to Tk 156,040 crore in the fiscal year 2022-23.
Bangladesh has ranked 3rd among food importing countries after importing near 12.5 million tonnes of food products from the global market in 2021. The latest report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that the highest food import spending here is still on wheat, edible oil and milk powder.
FAO shared that the per capita consumption of edible oil, meat, milk and similar nutritious food is the lowest. The FAO study also said that Bangladesh is becoming more and more reliant on food imports from other countries.
In 2010, Bangladesh brought in 9.3% of all the food it needed. By 2022, that number had risen to 11.2%. Bangladesh has been buying more rice, wheat, and cooking oil since then. But this year, not much rice was brought in because of the dollar problem. The amount of wheat imported was also 30% less than usual.
People who change their gender surgically will not get admission under ‘Transgender/Hijra’ quota in undergraduate programs of Dhaka University (DU). Apart from women and men, those who are of other sex by birth and nature, will get admission in this quota.
The University Grants Commission, through its 46th Annual Report, recommended special arrangements for higher education of Hijras to the government. DU last academic year (2022-23) introduced a quota called ‘Transgender/Hijra’ for transgenders to ensure access to higher education in undergraduate programs. Students have been opposing this quota since the publication of the admission circular for the academic year 2023-24 on 18 December. They demanded cancellation of this quota or removal of the word transgender from the quota.
Those who have voluntarily transitioned or who identify as a different gender despite having fully female or male body parts and characteristics will not fall under this quota. Those who are of gender diversity other than male and female by birth and nature will fall under this quota if they pass the admission test.
An unsettling event happened in a private hospital in Gujarat, India, showing how dangerous it is to smoke, especially when your health is at risk.
According to the Anandabazar Patrika, a person with a lung infection was taken to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The patient’s smoking addiction got the best of him, even though he was in serious condition and needed oxygen support. He did something dangerous when he took off his breathing mask and lit up while lying in the hospital bed. This was a bad idea because the cigarette caught fire when it came in touch with oxygen.
The hospital staff said that the patient was admitted because they had a lung infection and were having trouble breathing. They were also giving the patient air as prescribed by the doctors. The patient started a cigarette to smoke in private, but the oxygen supply system was close by, so it quickly caught fire. The patient got burns on part of their face, and hospital equipment was damaged. Luckily, the hospital staff and fire extinguishers moved quickly and put out the fire within minutes.
The National Emergency Service in Bangladesh, or 999, has been very important in stopping child marriages. Over 26,000 child marriages have been reported to the 999 number in the last six years, which shows how useful it is in a wide range of urgent situations.
Notably, informed citizens like family members and even possible victims have actively used the service to get help right away to stop these illegal activities. The numbers show that more and more people are aware of the 999 service and how well it works in a variety of situations.
Because it offers so many services, the 999 hotline has been open since December 12, 2017, and has taken about 25,917 calls about child weddings. Authorities reassure people that the emergency service is still committed to helping people quickly and making the area safer for everyone.
Following much hype, “Dunki” is set to release on Friday across Bangladesh. The film went through screening by the censor board today and got clearance. SRK fans can enjoy the movie at various multiplexes begining from tomorrow.
Anonno Mamun informed Daily Star about this. He represents Action Cut Entertainment, the Bangladeshi distributor of the movie. “Dunki” was released from censorship today due to its social narrative. “The film is planned to be screened in 46 theaters across Bangladesh from tomorrow,” he confirmed. Earlier, “Jawan” starring Shah Rukh Khan was released on the same day as its international release. “Dunki” will be released just 1 day after its international release.
Scientists found that people in a village in the Dhar area of Madhya Pradesh had been worshiping dinosaur eggs for years without realizing it. The Narmada Valley area has been linked to the time of the dinosaurs.
The fossilized dinosaur eggs that looked like round stones were part of a custom known as “Kakad Bherav.” The locals were shocked to learn that the stones were not what they seemed to be after giving them coconuts. The discovery was made in December by Dr. Mahesh Thakkar, Dr. Vivek V Kapoor, and Dr. Shilpa, along with two other scientists, during a workshop that looked at the Dinosaur Fossils Park’s research and development work.
When the fossilized dinosaur eggs, which were about 18 centimeters across, were found, the local officials started an investigation. Some of the well-preserved dinosaur eggs are being put on show so that the public can see them, and steps are being taken to protect others.
A local Awami League leader has warned the receivers of the government allowances saying their allowance card will be dropped if they don’t join the rallies of Awami League nominated candidate Abul Kalam Azad in the Jamalpur-5 constituency. Lakshmirchar union Awami League president Hatem Ali said this while speaking to the voters following a rally brought out as part of his election campaign.
Hatem Ali’s speech video went viral on Facebook on Wednesday bringing criticism from various places. However, Hatem Ali claimed he said that mistakenly. Hatem Ali was seen saying in the video that, “We don’t have any problem if you want to take part in the votes peacefully. If you want to cause issues, then you will have consequences like the BNP leaders. I want to speak to those who are enjoying the government allowances through the UP chairman and members. The chairman is going to call you at the primary school ground very soon. You all will have to arrive. And if you don’t turn up, you will be identified with the help of footage and your allowance cards will be cancelled after the vote. I am saying this in the presence of the chairman himself.”
On Wednesday, the Malaysian government said that any ship flying an Israeli flag or owned by Israel would not be allowed to stop at any of its ports.
According to a statement from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office, the ban was a response to what Israel did during its fight with Hamas and would start right away.
The statement said, “This sanction is a response to Israel’s actions that ignore basic humanitarian principles and break international law by continuing to kill and hurt the Palestinian people in horrible ways.”
Malaysia, which is mostly Muslim, has always stood up for the rights and issues of Palestinians. Like nearby Indonesia, Brunei, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Pakistan, it doesn’t recognize Israel.
An automatic draw held every week by Big Ticket Abu Dhabi gave a man from Bangladesh who lives in Ras Al Khaimah one million dirhams. Mohammad, the lucky winner, is 56 years old and works as a driver. A year ago, he bought the winning ticket and said that he and 19 friends bought two tickets every month as a group effort.
Mohammad was thrilled about winning the lottery and said, “We bought two tickets from a special offer and got four tickets.” After that, I won a million dirhams with those tickets. We’re very happy with this win.” He also said that he was going to give some of his winnings to friends and use some of it to build his kids a new house in Bangladesh.
Additionally, Mohammad has the chance to enter the future live draw for 20 million dirhams using the same ticket. This shows that the same ticket can lead to even bigger wins.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is making pamphlets calling upon the people to reject the ‘one-sided’ election of this government in addition to enforcing hartals and blockades. Sources say that the BNP will be enforcing hartals and blockades and delivering the anti-election leaflets until January 7 across the nation.
Voting of the 12th parliamentary election will be organized on January 7. At the order of the election commission (EC), the home ministry bans all political programmes that may hamper electioneering from 18 December till the end of polling. BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told Prothom Alo last night that the results of this election have already been determined. The election commission will just declare the results on that day accordingly.
The people, irrespective of their affiliation or views, will together boycott this fixed, ridiculous and farcical election, he added.
According to the World Bank, Bangladesh’s expatriate income is now growing at 7 percent. By the end of 2023, Bangladesh’s total expatriate income through formal and legal channels may reach 23 billion or 2,300 crore dollars.
According to the World Bank and Nomad’s Migration and Development Brief 39, Bangladesh will rank seventh among lower-middle income countries by the end of 2023. As usual, India will be at the top of this list. This year the country’s expatriate income may reach 125 billion or 12 thousand 5 crore dollars. According to the report, this year, like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka will also see an increase in expatriate income. Domestic economic conditions will improve due to compliance with International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan conditions and expatriate incomes will grow as expatriates regain confidence in formal banking channels.
On Monday, Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, communicated to his fans through a message made by AI. Khan has been in jail since August on charges of leaking confidential papers. In April 2022, a vote of no-confidence got rid of his government. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), which Khan leads, said it used AI to make an audio message that sounded like the leader.
The AI message said: “My fellow Pakistanis, I would first like to praise the social media team for this historic attempt.”
“Maybe you all are wondering how I am doing in jail,” the voice said. “Today, my determination for real freedom is very strong.”
“Our party is not allowed to hold public rallies,” he said, calling on supporters to vote in general elections set to be held on early February. “Our people are being kidnapped and their families are being harassed.”
The message was signed as an “AI voice of Imran Khan based on his notes.”
The founder of the e-commerce company ‘Evaly’ Mohammad Rassel has been released from prison. He was released from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur at 6:30 PM on Monday. This was confirmed Shahjahan Ahmed, superintendent of Kashimpur, on Tuesday.
“When his bail documents arrived for all cases at the jail, he was released following proper verification,” he added. On September 16, 2021, the ex-CEO of Evaly was apprehended from his home in Mohammadpur on charges related to fraud. Both Rassel and the then chairman, Shamima Nasreen, Rassel’s wife, were arrested. Afterwards, Rassel’s wife was released on bail.
At least 4 people including a mother and her son have been killed as miscreants set fire on three compartments of Mohanganj Express train in Tejgaon. Fire service and civil defense said the act of arson took place some time after 5:00 AM on Tuesday. Of the deceased, two were identified as Nadira Akter Popy, 32, and her 3 year old son Yasin. The other two victims could not be identified.
Tejgaon police station’s officer in charge (OC) Mohammad Mohsin listened to the passengers who said the train from Netrokona reached Dhaka in the morning. As it arrived near Khilket area, the passengers saw the fire. Afterwards the train was stopped at Tejgaon station. Fire service media cell’s official Shahjahan Shikder said 3 units of Tejgaon fire station brought the fire under control at around 6:45 AM. Police said the bodies were delivered to Kamalapur railway station.
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